Serie A Sunday: Napoli Beat Parma 3-1 To Take Back Third Place, 1 Point Behind Inter

Parma, on the other hand, are ecstatic for having taken the lead over the third-placed side. The club haven’t won a match in their last four and are desperate to pick up all three points and lift themselves further from the relegation zone.

There’s a reason that more or less every single major team are after Udinese winger Alexis Sanchez. After starring for Chile in the World Cup, the 22 year-old may well be the Serie A’s top player this season, capable of blowing defenses apart almost at will with a stunning combination of pace, guide, and finishing ability. He’s not quite Italy’s answer to Messi just yet, but the very fact that he’s on the fringes of that conversation is testament to just how good the little forward might someday be. Oh, you want evidence?

It’s not often you see someone do so many stepovers on the run that a centreback opts to stare stare at their own feet and fall over in fear, and it’s even rarer that you see a forward pick the ball 20 yards inside his own half and roll it past the keeper eight(!) seconds later, but that’s Sancehz for you. The goal took Udinese to 2-0 over Cagliari (it’s now 4-0 after Antonio di Natale smacked in another two past a rather beleaguered Michael Agazzi in Cagliari’s net. Udinese are really making a bid for the Champions League spots in the Serie A now, and Sanchez’s summer price is rising to ludicrous levels.

A goalless draw at the Stadio Olimpico, but the Derby Della Capitale hasn’t been a bore. Roma came out finally looking like the team that everyone’s been waiting for this season, fielding Francesco Totti, Jérémy Menez and Mirko Vučinić in the attack. Lazio answered with Mauro Zárate, Giuseppe Sculli and Sergio Floccari, although it’s been Hernanes that’s threatened the most.

Roma have had the better of the chances, but unfortunately for the home side, close only counts in horseshoes. If there were points for proximity to goal, the Lupi would be ahead, but alas David Pizarro’s fifth minute shot that ricocheted off the crossbar will simply go down as a missed opportunity. Same for a 41st minute attempt by Menez that was cleared off the line by Cristian Ledesma.

Antonio Cassano came off the bench and netted an 82nd minute equalizer for AC Milan in their Serie A match against Bari, but his team will be left wondering why that was the only goal they could manage. Milan struggled to break down an extremely defensive Bari side who showed little interest in attacking, but somehow managed a goal for themselves. This 1-1 draw will feel like a loss to Milan, despite the fact that they have a decent cushion at the top of the table. Coming off of their Champions League elimination at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, this draw will be a tough pill to swallow.

Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic doesn’t have a reputation for being the most sportsmanlike and gentlemanly player on the pitch in most games, but he took his poor attitude to new levels in this match. He committed a couple of handballs, simulated fouls, and berated the official for the entire time he was on the pitch. That time was cut short, as Ibrahimovic was rightfully sent off in the 73rd minute for his second yellow card offense, a deliberate handball.

After Inter Milan’s comical slip-up against Brescia, their rivals AC Milan have every chance to open up a massive, almost insurmountable gap at the top of Serie A. This week, they host bottom feeders Bari, soon to be a Serie B side, so anything less than three points would be downright unacceptable for the Rossoneri. As a result, despite the fact that Milan’s reserves should give Bari a run for their money, Max Allegri has opted to pick a full strength side.

AC Milan lineup (4-3-3): Abbiatti; Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini; Van Bommel, Gattuso, Merkel; Robinho, Pato, Ibrahimovic

Parma Vs. Napoli